Justification This species is listed as Endangered because it has a very small range, with breeding proven at only three locations, which is believed to be undergoing a continuing decline in extent, area, and habitat quality, owing to the high rate of loss and degradation of its preferred habitat, seasonal marshland.

Family/Sub-family Rallidae

Species name author (Gurney, 1877)

Taxonomic source(s) Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Identification 14 cm. Tiny rail. Adult male has chestnut head. Both sexes have black-barred chestnut tail and white wing-patches (very obvious in flight, not visible at rest). Similar spp. No other flufftail Sarothrura has white wing-patches. Female paler below than other female flufftails Voice Soft, double-noted hooting, not unlike call of distant Grey Crowned-crane Balearica regulorum. Hints Best chance of seeing this secretive bird is during the wet season in upland marshes in central South Africa and Ethiopia.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

700

decreasing

250 km²

Yes

Range & population Sarothrura ayresi occurs in Ethiopia (currently three sites in the central highlands, the only known breeding area for this species)^11,12,13, Zimbabwe (one record in 1988¹⁵, two records in the 1970s¹³, and a possible breeding record in the 1950s^12,13), and South Africa (ten sites in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga)²¹. Claimed records from Zambia and Rwanda are unproven^6,7,13. The occupied breeding range has been estimated as 250 km^{2 2}. In South Africa, the total population is estimated to be 235 birds¹³. In the Ethiopian highlands, 10-15 pairs have bred at Sululta annually since 1996^1,4,13 and c.200 pairs were discovered at a new breeding site (Berga floodplain) in 1997^9,11,25. In 2005, a small breeding population was discovered at Bilacha in Ethiopia²⁵, with three adults recorded initially in July, followed by the location of three eggs in August and 19 nests in September¹⁸. Whether a single population migrates between Ethiopia and South Africa, or each country hosts its own subpopulation, is not yet known^5,13, although observations from a breeding site in Ethiopia discovered in 2005 show that birds continue to breed into the dry season and may remain in Ethiopia after breeding, rather than migrate¹⁹.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: Behaviour The movements of this species are not fully understood. Lack of subspeciation has been interpreted to imply that the birds migrate between the two range areas^13,26, and this is supported by the fact that breeding has not been observed in South Africa where it is considered by many to be a non-breeding summer visitor²⁷. However the fact that there are overlaps in occurrence has prompted suggestions that strict migration is unlikely¹³. One suggestion is that long-distance dispersal occurs when numbers are high^13,26, with local movements being predominant at other times. In Ethiopia birds that breed in the central highlands in June-September may move to lover-level habitats during the non-breeding season when the highland areas becomes unsuitable^13,26. In South Africa the species is thought to be nomadic, moving in search of its transient habitat^1,3,26. Birds in Ethiopia are present between June and October³, while non-breeding birds in South Africa are present from November to March¹⁴, with a few records in May, August and September²⁷. Breeding occurs in July-August¹⁶. Breeding birds occur at a density of 2-4 pairs per hectare¹³. Non-breeding birds occur in loose associations¹³. Habitat Breeding The species breeds in high-altitude seasonal marshes (between 2,200 and 2,600 m) with dense, rapidly growing vegetation dominated by sedges, grasses and forbs^10,13. It occurs here when vegetation has reached 20-40 cm in height and the ground has not yet become entirely flooded¹⁶. Very soon after hatching, it appears to move its chicks to areas of denser vegetation where the ground is more deeply and continuously flooded¹⁶. Non-breeding In South Africa it inhabits moist to flooded peat-based habitats²⁷ (mostly at 1,100-1,900 m) where vegetation is dense and dominated by sedges (Carex species) ²⁷, although it is occasionally found in pure stands of Bulrush and reeds²⁷. It forages in mud at the edges of reed beds, in shallow water, in floating mats of aquatic vegetation and occasionally on dry ground²⁷. Of the 10 important sites for the species in South Africa, 9 are within the Eastern Uplands, Great Escarpment Mountains and Highveld peatland ecoregions, emphasising the importance of peat-based habitats²⁰. In 2002, a new site was discovered in northern coastal KwaZulu-Natal following speculation that the species no longer occurred in coastal areas²⁰. Diet It feeds on seeds and vegetation²¹ as well as insects, spiders, earthworms, small frogs and small fish²⁷. The stomach contents of a deceased chick included coleoptera (Dystiscidae) imagines, Diptera larvae (Tipulidae and Tabanidae), and the remains of small crustaceans. Breeding site Nests found in Ethiopia are described as a ball of woven live sedge, Eleocharis or Cyperus, and other plant stems and vegetation, with clutches of 4-6 eggs^16,17. Observations at a nest found in August 1999 resulted in an estimated incubation period of 15-16 days.

Threats Seasonal marshes are threatened by drainage (for cultivation and forestry), flooding by dams, catchment erosion, water abstraction, human disturbance, too-frequent burning, and excessive trampling and grazing by livestock and cutting of marsh vegetation for fodder^4,13,14. Observations in Ethiopia suggest that it moves its chicks very soon after hatching to areas of denser vegetation and deeper flooding before the vegetation at nest sites has grown enough for cutting by local people¹⁶. Grasses and sedges are cut for the culturally important Ethiopian coffee ceremony²¹. In Ethiopia, a serious problem is the rapid growth in the numbers of livestock at around 2.4% per annum, and the resultant grazing of breeding habitat to a very short sward length²². The peatlands of South Africa are threatened by cultivation, afforestation, grazing, water abstraction, horticulture, peat fires, draining, headcut and donga erosion, siltation, fences and developments such as roads and dams²⁰. The construction of the Braamhoek pumped storage scheme at Bedford Chatsworth marsh in eastern Free State, South Africa, may have caused disturbance and damage to habitat²¹.

Conservation measures underway CMS Appendix I and II. Some South African sites have some legal protection, and at least four sites are protected by the landowners⁵. At the largest Ethiopian breeding population, the vegetation is not cut for fodder until October-November²⁵, thus giving the birds time to breed without disturbance¹. In South Africa, the Middelpunt Wetland Association was formed in 1994 with the main objective of conserving the species^21,22. One of the Ethiopian sites, Berga, is on a state-run dairy farm, and formerly so was Weserbi. The farm at Weserbi has been privatised, but the marsh still remains under the control of the central Dairy Farm Enterprise based in Addis Ababa²⁵. A Site Support Group, formed for Berga by the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society, has carried out successful conservation action²¹. In 2003, a partnership was formed to mitigate the effects of the Braamhoek pumped storage scheme. In June 2003, a Species Action Planning stakeholder workshop was held in Wakkerstrom, South Africa, to assess the threats facing the species in this country, and concluded with the agreement that a South African White-winged Flufftail Action Group be established²¹. A proposal was put forward in 2006 to initiate a captive breeding programme in August that year, based in Pretoria Zoo, and using eggs taken from Berga marsh, Ethiopia²³. The aim would be to study the species's life history and behaviour²³. However, there were concerns that the programme should be carried out in Ethiopia, where it is known to breed, and that releasing birds into its non-breeding range could result in hybridisation with similar species²⁴. The captive breeding programme is not currently going ahead²⁵.

Conservation measures proposed Maintain and restore suitable habitat at breeding areas in Ethiopia through sustainable use under community-based conservation programmes^4,8,13. Protect additional sites in South Africa⁵. Continue surveys in Ethiopia and southern Africa to better define its range, population, seasonal movements and habitat requirements^4,5,9. Locate new breeding sites^16,22. Rehabilitate degraded wetlands¹⁶. Conduct research to determine the extent of the species's dependency on mire habitat in South Africa²⁰. Ensure integrity of known and suspected sites in South Africa by 2008²¹. Reduce disturbance at eight sites in South Africa by 2008²¹. Confirm that the species migrates between Ethiopia and South Africa²¹. Determine and record its principal calls for field studies²¹.

References Collar and Stuart (1985). 1. Anon. (1997c). 2. Anon. (1999). 3. J. S. Ash in litt. (1999). 4. Atkinson et al. (1996a). 5. Barnes (2000). 6. F. Dowsett-Lemaire and R. J. Dowsett in litt. (1999). 7. P. Leonard in litt. (1999). 8. P. Robertson in litt. (1998). 9. A. Shimelis in litt. (1998). 10. Taylor (1996). 11. Taylor (1998). 12. Taylor (1999). 13. Taylor and van Perlo (1998). 14. P. B. Taylor in litt. (1999). 15. Hustler and Irwin (1995). 16. Taylor et al. (2004). 17. Allan et al. (2006). 18. Anon. (2006). 19. A. Tefera per Anon. (2006). 20. Taylor and Grundling (2003). 21. De Smidt (2003). 22. M. Drummond in litt. (2005). 23. Tarboton and Wondafrash (in prep.). 24. P.K. Ndang'ang'a in litt. (2006). 25. M. Wondafrash in litt. (2007). 26. del Hoyo et al. (1996). 27. Urban et al. (2005).

Further web sources of information

African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) International Action Plan 2007

South African White-winged Flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi) Action Plan

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Jonathan Ekstrom (BirdLife International), Mike Evans (BirdLife International), John Pilgrim (BirdLife International), Sue Shutes (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Contributors John S. Ash, Robert J. Dowsett, Francoise Dowsett-Lemaire, Malcolm Drummond (Middelpunt Wetland Association), Paul Kariuki Ndang’ang’a (BirdLife International), Pete Leonard, Pete Robertson (BirdLife International), Anteneh Shimelis (Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society), P. Barry Taylor (University of Natal), Mengistu Wondafrash (EWNHS)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Sarothrura ayresi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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